The Drowning of Iroh
by KakarottoPrime
Summary: Tasked to eliminate the ruthless waterbender Jaeso the Breaker, a young Prince Iroh discovers his path. Forced to choose between duty and love, Iroh learns the true meaning of loss and suffering.
1. Chapter 1

**Book 1 - Growth**

發展

**Chapter 1 - Two Fugitives**

"Is there anything quite as heartbreaking as losing something we hold dear?"

"Uncle, it was just a teapot." Zuko snapped.

"It had sentimental value!" cried Iroh. Iroh and Zuko had been on the run from both their native Fire Nation and zealous Earth Kingdom bounty hunters for weeks. Zuko was tired of his uncle's overreacting to little things like this, yesterday it was his favourite book and today it was an old, stupid teapot. They had been walking a safe-looking mountainside path when the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed and sent them tumbling downhill. It was while they gathered their things that his uncle had noticed the broken ceramics: Iroh held one of the shards in his hand, staring at the faded paintwork.

"It was made for me by an old friend in my army days. How long ago that seems now." Zuko noticed that his uncle did genuinely seem upset by the loss of this simple little teapot, so he decided to try and soften his tone a little, "Come uncle, we have to move. I get feeling that was no natural landslip." Iroh nodded, wiped away a small tear from his eyes, and stood up.

"It's important to never forget where you've come from, Zuko. And what it's cost to get to where you are now."

"I'm more concerned with what's happening in the here and now, Uncle." Iroh stares at Zuko for a moment, places the small shard in his pocket, and begins walking.

"Which way should we go?" Asked Iroh. Their previous path was now in ruins and there didn't appear to be any easy way back up the mountain. _Look at the path, the rest of it is completely untouched. No way did the section we were walking on just fall apart by accident._ "I think we should head away from the mountain. That way." Zuko pointed to a nearby forest, the tall wooden sentinels looming over the landscape, offering a safe haven to anyone who dared break it's ranks. "A wise choice, I would say." Iroh smiled at Zuko; Zuko had always wondered why his uncle felt such pride in him. After all he was a failure in his father eyes, his sister's eyes and his own eyes. But not in his uncle's.

"Then let's move." Zuko hadn't gotten ten paces before he felt it; barely a shiver at first, but enough to let him know their day was about to get a lot worse very quickly. The shiver became a rumble, the rumble became a quake, and Zuko took up a defensive stance. Then; silence. "Remain calm, Zuko. Follow my lead." Iroh took up a similar stance at Zuko's side. The ground was still, as though it were listening intently to their conversation, waiting for a chance to strike. Zuko couldn't take the waiting any longer, "Show yourselves, cowards in the dirt!" The ground exploded, dirt flew into Zuko's eyes and for a moment he was in darkness. Wiping his eyes, he assessed the new situation: _six of them. Earth Kingdom military, by their colours. Not open to negotiations, by the archer aiming at him. _One of the soldiers stepped forward, "Iroh and Zuko of the Fire Nation-" Zuko glanced to Iroh and caught his eye; _make a move old man, or I will_, his glare said. Iroh let slip a quiet smile, and turned his eyes back to the soldier, "-by order of the Earth King you are to surrender immediately. We-" Iroh moved fast, and swept his hands upwards as he conjured a wall of fire; cutting them off from their pursuers. "Move, now!" Iroh slid to the right, blasting through the wall, and Zuko followed hastily.

Zuko couldn't remember the last time he saw his uncle move so fast, it was easy to forget that at one time in his life his uncle was a fire bender who was feared all over the world. _No time for sentiment_, Zuko thought to himself, as Iroh continued to dance around the soldiers. Iroh looked to be caught in the crossfire of two soldiers, but before Zuko could help Iroh floored them with a low sweeping kick; sending fire arcing along the ground. "Don't stare nephew, move!". Zuko had barely seen this side to his uncle, so his bemused attitude was nothing surprising, but he had to snap out of it. _Observe, assess, react. _Zuko scanned the area: Iroh had taken out two already, but their Captain was closing in, the archer was drawing his bow, and two other soldiers lifted the earth around them. He couldn't take them all on, so he took a page out of his uncle's book. Dropping to one knee, he threw forward two long walls of fire, separating the enemy group.

It was an opportunity to take the fight to them. "Zuko! Run!"

"What?!" Before he could react Iroh had him by the collar, pounding through the middle of the walls Zuko had just conjured, towards a nearby forest. Throwing Zuko ahead, Iroh sent the walls hurtling outwards;: directly towards the confused soldiers, who had lost their targets in the blaze. _That wasn't enough to finish them, old man. _Iroh ran towards Zuko, "Keep moving, now's our chance!" Zuko spat on the ground, and begrudgingly followed his uncle; both of them sprinted for their lives away from the fight.

Zuko peered a look over his shoulder, _they aren't following us. "_Uncle! They aren't chasing-" A dull thud knocked Zuko straight to ground, falling and tumbling. Bones cracked and his vision blurred, though he couldn't actually feel anything. For a moment there was only a cold numbness as he saw his Uncle turn back for him. His vision blurred further, he barely make out shapes. Then the numbness began to fade, and his vision began to sharpen, just in time to witness his uncle summoning arcing waves of icy-blue lighting, cutting off their pursuers. His vision blurred again, but the numbness was replaced by an urgency, a panic; an oncoming dread. It was a feeling Zuko had felt before, when he was a child on the beach: Zuko was drowning.

His body went into a fit, and Iroh picked him up. "Don't worry Nephew! We'll get help!" Iroh noticed the arrow protruding from Zuko's back: _poison. _"We'll get you a healer, don't fall asleep!". Zuko couldn't hear his uncle though, the only sensation his body could process was the the coughing, the spluttering, the shredding in his throat. Zuko was absolutely terrified. He wasn't scared of death; but to Zuko, drowning was a nightmare. Just as he felt like he couldn't take anymore, his vision blackened, and he fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Book 1 - Growth**

發展

**Chapter 2 - Iroh, Zuko and the Medicine Man**

"Prince Zuko? Can you hear me?"

The air was hot and sticky, and Iroh placed a hand on Zuko's forehead, _ice cold_, he felt the guilt of it all weighing heavy on his shoulders. _Perhaps if we had went another way, or I had let you lead, this might not have happened_. Iroh realised that if Zuko perished here, not only would it be his own fault, he would most likely be the only person who cared. "You deserved so much more than what life has given you, my nephew." He hugged Zuko's corpse-like body and whispered in his ear, "I promise you: one day you'll finally have the life you deserve, one full of love and joy." Iroh's voice shook, "You will not have it torn from you.". He released his grip, and sat by his nephew's side, waiting. The healer walked into the hut, carefully peeling a small piece of fruit, "Is he still cold?"

"Yes. As though he were bitten by ice." The healer frowned and examined Zuko's eyes. _The healer. The medicine man. The good man. _When Iroh stumbled into the village, exhausted, soaking, with Zuko on his shoulder, this kind old man didn't hesitate to invite them into his home. In another life, Iroh might have considered this strange, perhaps even suspicious. But Iroh had seen genuine good in many people, and over the years he changed; he believed that in even the most supposedly evil person there lay some good. His nephew was a living testament to that faith. So when he was dragging Zuko through the mud into the village, the wind tearing through his cloak and the rain stinging his eyes, and the old man offered them shelter, he was not surprised. But that didn't mean he was not grateful. "Thank you again, for helping us."

"Don't thank me, I haven't done anything yet."

"You allowed us into your home, that is a kingly gift." Iroh bowed his head, and the healer smiled.

"So." The healer's tone was conversational, but forced, "How did he get hit by a poison arrow in these parts?" Iroh looked at Zuko, his face pale and and still. _How calm the sleeping water can seem before the most vicious storm._ "This man helped us, nephew. Please understand." He turned his gaze away from Zuko, and met the healer's eye.

"We were exiled from the Fire Nation and are now fugitives being chased by the Earth Kingdom." The healer held Iroh's stare, solid as a rock.

Then he burst out laughing. "Ah, you're still not the most dangerous patient I've treated. Thank you for your honesty." Iroh's heart was warmed by the sentiment. It seemed as though there were still people in the world who cared for where you are, instead of where you had come from.

Zuko stirred. A small groan, and his eyelids flickered. Iroh leapt forward, grabbing his nephew's hand, "Zuko?". Zuko's eyes opened further, weighed down by a vile mix of sickness and exhaustion. He croaked, "U…uncle…I" , before he could utter another word, the coughing returned.

Choking, spluttering, gasping for air, Zuko's body tensed and went into a rage of shaking. Iroh moved to grab him, not knowing what else to do, but the healer put a hand between them. "Don't. You must let the pain run it's course. He'll suffer, but in the end he'll come out strong and healthy. Trust me." Iroh turned from the healer back to Zuko, _I would take the pain from you, if only I could._ Zuko's body thrashed relentlessly, as though in the grip of death itself, and then, with a start, he went limp. Iroh quickly leaned in, he's breathing, weakly. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to the healer, "Isn't there anything I can do to help him?"

"Remain with him, talk to him. Tell him a story." The healer nodded, and left the room.

Settling in for the night, Iroh poured himself some tea. He smiled at the sleeping Zuko, who looked ironically peaceful. Casting his mind back, Iroh tried to think of an old, long story he hadn't told Zuko. "I've told you almost all of my stories, nephew. How many you actually listened is a different matter!" Iroh chuckled to himself. He stared at him, so quiet and restful. No longer drowning.

_Drowning._

_Now there's a story fit for a prince._ A story he had never told his nephew in the worry that he would think less of him for it. The story of his days as a young Fire Nation Captain, not much older than Zuko was now.

"Listen close Prince Zuko, this is the story of how I became a man. Or at least, the man I am today." Iroh looked down at his hands. "And it's the story of my fight against a man who was the embodiment of dread, a fearsome man who terrifies me to this day.

The Water-Warrior: Jaeso the Breaker."


	3. Chapter 3

p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"Iroh staggered out of the tent, his glass comrades clutched against his chest. Being the dutiful officer that he was, he had nobly offered to escort the aged men to front lines himself. He decided an inspection of the troops was in order, and used his teeth to pull away the cork helmet of one of his silent soldiers./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"He took a greedily long swig of the rum. emThere is no sweeter taste to be found. At least, not in these godforsaken wastes.em Iroh and his men had spent weeks on the road, and the further South they marched; the colder it got. And the less rum there was to share amongst everybody. Things had gotten so desperate that Iroh had cut down his consumption to only one bottle per night. He wasn't sure how much longer he would last. emWhy must you drink so much?!/em He recalled his second-in-command asking him on one particularly messy night. Iroh couldn't actually remember what he said in response, but he remembered the fits of laughter that followed. He chucked, emThat is why I drink, Lieutenant Toza: it's fun!/em His head was swimming, he had already drank three bottles, or was it five? He wasn't too sure. Tonight was a special occasion though, as they had reached their destination; tomorrow they would finally carry out the mission. Iroh expected they would most certainly be on the run all the way back to fire nation territory, so he had ordered the men to celebrate their victory tonight, in advance of the attack. He took one pride-filled step forward and went face-first into the dirt./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""Lieutenant Toza! TOZA!" Iroh cried as he hit the ground with a hammering thud. Impressively, he managed to keep all the bottles intact, and not a drop had been spilled. In a tent across from him, a small lantern flickered on and a shadow rose from it's slumber; the tent flaps swayed and out flew Toza.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""You blasted fool, Iroh!" Toza was a whole head taller than Iroh, and much thinner to boot. His clean shaved, jagged, scarred face spoke of a man who had seen nothing but war in his lifetime. The men adored him, Iroh did not.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""Help me up or feel my fiery wrath, Toza!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""You couldn't heat up my grandmother's soup in this state." Iroh tried to stand up again, but instead only managed to get comfier on the ground. "Oh, spirits." Spitting on the ground, Toza moved to help Iroh up; he learned very quickly how difficult it could be to make a man stand when the man in question was more concerned with protecting his drink than he was with staying upright. With one arm around Toza's neck, Iroh was dragged back to his own tent. Toza struggled with the weight, almost dropping Iroh several times, "Be careful, idiot!" Iroh finished off a bottle and threw it away, hitting Toza in the face.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""AH!" Toza threw him back to the dirt. "You are a pig, Iroh!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""Don't you talk to me like that! emhicem I am your commanding officer and a member of the royal family, you will show me some respect!"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"Toza began to march away, and stopped in his tracks. Storming back, he grabbed Iroh by the scruff of the collar and lifted him up, "Respect is earned, gasbag." He punched Iroh hard in the gut, and dropped him. Iroh wretched and spluttered, before yelling intelligible curses at Toza.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""Be quiet. How do you expect to lead these men? These young men who look up to you? They are good, loyal men, who face death for you! You do not deserve their loyalty, nor my respect. Goodnight, Captain."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"Iroh continued to cough as he rolled on the floor, emdisloyal little…em his eyes began to water and his head spun relentlessly. He rolled onto his back and looked at the stars; they danced around his blurry vision. "I will lead these men!" he shouted, to no-one in particular, "I am Iroh: Prince of the Fi-" before Iroh could finish his thought, his stomach heaved like a heavy storm and he threw up in the dirt. To his own surprise, Iroh found himself chuckling, "Perhaps I need some sleep!" And with that, he passed out./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"High above the hidden Fire Nation encampment, the shadow in blue motioned to the shadow in black, who nodded. Slowly, they rose from their den; a crow's nest built into a mountainside tree, invisible to the untrained eye.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"Standing up, they studied the camp for a moment. The shadow in blue pulled away the cloth covering his face, his eyes were cold, his face sharp and alert, "Not here. They are too well fortified. But their numbers are not great, we'll hold them at the village." The shadow in black bowed his head,p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;""Yes, sir." He left the man the with cold eyes and the sharp face, who continued to stare at the camp. An officer was storming away from a drunk after punching him. The officer had an air of command about him, a confidence and pride that comes with leadership, "He who holds fear over others holds authority." the shadow whispered. Though the officer was far away, the shadow's eyes were used to the dark, and could pierce far into the horizon.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"emA scarred face, though clean-shaven. You wear the wounds of war, but you display them like trophies. You. You lead them. I will remember you.em/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: small;"The shadow in black returned, "The path down is clear, Jaeso." Jaeso turned, and nodded. He donned his blue mask and silently left the crow's nest.p 


	4. Chapter 4

**Book 1 - Growth**

發展

**Chapter 4 - The Fire Nation Raid**

He held a stony face as he always did. He had to; it was essential to the image of himself he had spent so long constructing. In times of struggle and strife and fear it was imperative that he remain calm, strong and in control. Jaeso knew this well, although his iron mask now had to conceal something it wasn't used to: guilt.

He scanned the war tent, the other warriors listened intently to him, hanging on every word. He wasn't the oldest in the room: by contrast, at 30 years old he was actually one of the youngest warriors in the village. But his cold, sunken eyes had seen more than their fair share of the war, and the villagers understood this._ Maybe a little too well._

He had been up all night since returning from the scout, working with his warriors in the village on a plan to defend themselves. Neither side was particularly bolstered, but the firebenders outnumbered them nonetheless, however they now had the element of surprise. "The firebenders will expect us to be unprepared and unorganised, but they will quickly realise they are one step behind." _This all may be my fault, but I refuse to lay down and accept that fate. Reassure._

"They are only a small raiding party, and will quickly try to flee. That's when I'll strike from the waterfall." Jaeso looked at one of the warriors in the tent with him and motioned towards a map lying on the table, "Allow them to advance into the village until they reach the river crossing, that is the best place to hold them." _What if there's another contingent?_

_There isn't._

_Is there?_

_No._

Jaeso stood up straight and paused. The men surrounding him were brave and would gladly throw down their lives for their homes. They trusted and respected him, but that wasn't why they listened to him. _Look in their eyes, Jaeso. They fear you._

_As they should._

_Are you striking terror in the hearts of your own people, now?_

Jaeso held that thought for a moment. It wasn't ideal that his neighbours were terrified of him, but he knew for a fact it was an effective strategy. After all, that was how he earned his title.

"I need all of you to stand firm and protect the villagers at all costs, we can't allow these savages to take any more innocent lives. Dismissed."

The warriors filed out in silence, with no objections to his plan. _None vocal, at least_.

_They know exactly what's at stake._

_Do you?_

He nodded to himself in silence, he knew all too well what was at stake with the raid. He quickly stood up and marched out of the tent, ignoring the people turning to glance at him. He always assumed the glances were because he stood a foot taller than most people, but since he returned from his mission behind enemy lines he understood it was fear that drove the stares. The village wasn't large, or very well fortified, but it was quite heavily populated by fisherman and their families, the boats lined up by the pier that connected the running river to the sea. He stared at the boats, the men on them going about their daily business. So peaceful. Jaeso briefly felt a rushing desire to go out fishing and never come back, but quickly snapped himself out of it.

Before he knew it, he'd arrived at his house.

"Dad! You scared me!" Kasse shot up, and hugged him after a moment. Jaeso smiled. Some people walk into their homes and hang up their coat, or tidy away their weapon; Jaeso always put away the mask for his daughter.

"Spirits, you look absolutely terrible. Are you sick?"

It's not like he could hide anything from her, anyway.

He opened his mouth to say something about the raiders, but what came out sounded suspiciously like laughter. "What's funny?", Kasse smiled, on the verge of laughter herself. She was still young, a teenager, but she had grown to become a fine young adult, full of compassion,

_nothing like you_

unwilling to even hurt a fly.

_I hope she never will be_

"Can't a father just be happy to see his family and laugh in their face without being questioned about it?!" Kasse cracked up at that, she loved it when he mocked his always-serious image. He loved that he could still make her laugh so easily.

"Absolutely not. Sit down, I've just made tea. Tell me everything." Jaeso nodded and did as he was told. There was no hiding things from Kasse, no secrets, no lies.

"The fire nation have tracked me down and are planning to attack the village soon. We're going to let them. Then I'm going to rout them."

"I see." Kasse poured them both tea. "Are the villagers in danger?"

"No, so long as they remain indoors when the horn sounds. That goes for you too."

Kasse sat cross-legged on her meditation mat, a cup of calming tea in her hands, "I'm not exactly rushing to the frontline."

"I know, I know." Jaeso drank some of his tea, which was just at the temperature he liked. Kasse had known he was on his way home.

"Do you have to go back to work tonight?"

"Yes, the raid could happen any day now. I actually have to head back already, they're expecting me to talk to the elders." Jaeso stood up, mentally reaching for his mask.

"I understand. I love you, dad." Kasse didn't get up to hug him goodbye, she was never that great at saying goodbye to anybody.

"I love you too, sweetie." He walked away, pausing in the doorway, "Keep your eyes open, please?" Kasse smiled in acknowledgement. They never actively talked about how she helped the war effort, but they just both knew that, in her own way, she helped.


End file.
